1. Pursuant to section 172I of the Electricity Act 1992,
I notify the amendment of the Electricity Governance Rules 2003 ("Rules") under section 172H of the Electricity Act 1992.
2. The empowering provision for the electricity governance regulations in relation to which the Rules are amended is section 172D (7) of the Electricity Act 1992.
3. A brief description of the nature of the amendment follows:
The amendment consists of inserting a provision for the Minister of Energy to allow a longer period than
20 business days in which the Electricity Commission must complete its consideration of all submissions it receives on the transmission pricing methodology process and guidelines issues paper.
4. The amendment is made in reliance on the urgency provisions in section 172E (3) of the Electricity Act 1992.
5. Pursuant to section 172z (4) of the Electricity Act 1992, the reasons for my decision to amend the rules are that:
? due to the number and complexity of the submissions
the Electricity Commission is likely to receive on the transmission pricing methodology process and guidelines as well as the high potential for conflicting submissions, the Commission may need more than the 20 business days currently provided for under Part F of the Rules to complete its consideration;
? a similar contingency is provided for in other parts of the Rules and I consider it would be prudent to make an extension allowable in this case; and
? I consider that the matter is required to be dealt with urgently because the amendment to the Rules needs to
be in force before the 20 working day period for the Commission to consider submissions on the transmission pricing methodology and guidelines expires on
3 December 2004.
6. These Rules come into force on 2 December 2004.
7. Copies of the Rules, including this amendment, may be inspected free of charge or purchased from the Electricity Commission, Level Seven, ASB Tower, 2 Hunter Street, Wellington.
The Rules can also be viewed on the Electricity Commission web site:
http://www.electricitycommission.govt.nz/govern/regs/index.html
Dated at Wellington this 1st day of November 2004.
PETE HODGSON, Minister of Energy.